From watercolour eyes to winged liner, here’s our guide for nailing this year’s most popular festival make-up looks.
Grab your glitter and pull on your wellies, because festival season has officially begun. While sleeping in a field for several days on end might not scream glamour, you can definitely rely on your make-up to bring the vibes.
Whether you want to experiment with colour or go all-out sparkle, we’ve put together a how-to guide for recreating 2024’s most iconic festival make-up looks. Plus, we’ve shared our top tips for keeping that festival face fresh all day long!
How to nail this year’s top festival make-up looks
1. Espresso make-up
Sabrina Carpenter is having quite the year, and after she slayed in the Colorado desert, it wouldn’t be right to leave her iconic ‘Espresso’ make-up look off our list. This trend might require the most steps, but it’ll be worth it to have that dewy complexion from dusk ‘til dawn.
Start off with a glowy base – Fenty Beauty Soft Lit Foundation is great for getting that luminous look without the grease. Then you’ll want to go pink with a rosy blush in the centre of your cheeks. We love the Milani Rose Blush Trio Palette for triple the pop of colour. Finish off your dewy complexion with a golden highlighter. We recommend the e.l.f Halo Glow Highlight Beauty Wand which comes complete with a cushion-tip applicator for easy application (even if you are in a tent).
For the eyes, you’ll want to go for a subtle pink – try Urban Decay 24/7 Moondust Eyeshadow in Space Cowboy for a gorgeous shade with extra shimmer. Next, swipe on your fave mascara and then slick on a brown eyeliner wing. Fenty Beauty Flyliner Longwear Liquid Eyeliner is ideal for keeping things crisp.
Finish off your look with fluffy brows and a pop of pink on the lips. Go for liner first (Kylie Cosmetics Precision Pout Lip Liner Pencil is great for adding definition) and top everything off with a slick of Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb Universal Lip Luminizer. We like it in Fu$Sy for a hit of pink, but if you want to go a little more caramel, Fenty Glow is your go-to.
2. Tiger lids
Calling all you cat-lovers out there. It’s time to get a little artistic with your tip liner and embrace the wild with tiger lids.
Start off with your classic base, think golden hues and a hit of bronze. If you want to add a pop of matching orange to the cheeks, try out Benefit’s Butterfly Golden Orange Blush.
Next up, prep your lids with a primer to make sure your artwork lasts all day. Morphe Eyelid Primer is long-lasting and waterproof – perfect for all weathers.
Then, slick on an orange eyeshadow. Makeup Obsession’s Take It To The Grave Palette is packed with 10 earthy shades, including two orange tones and a shimmering bronze.
Start right in the crease with your eyeshadow and work your way out, don’t be afraid to go bold with it.
Finally, grab your felt-tip liner, we like Rimmel Wonder’Ink Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner (in black of course) for extra precision. You’ll want to carefully craft your classic wing, before slicking the stripes of a tiger all over your lids.
3. Glossy minimalist
A festival can often be a several-day extravaganza, and you might not want to go all-out every day. For a fuss-free face, why not try a glossy look?
First up for this one is a shimmery eyeshadow. As we’ve mentioned, we like Urban Decay 24/7 Moondust. Slick this all over your lids, and then add a matching pop of gloss to your lips. r.e.m beauty’s Utmost Importance Plumping Lipgloss is great for wearing over your fave lipstick or you could wear it alone for the ultimate wet look.
Check out our how-to video for nailing the glossy trend!
4. Crystal-winged eyeliner
What would a summer festival be without a whole heap of sparkle? You might be used to the classic body glitter or twinkly eyeshadow, but have you tried face crystals yet?
All you need for this look is a trusty black liquid eyeliner to draw on your wings (we like MAC Liquidlast 24-Hour Waterproof Liner) and a pack of adhesive gems.
This is a super versatile trend. You could go for a few gems along your wings or, if you want full-blown sparkle, you can line your entire lid with crystals. Wet N Wild’s Fantasy Maker Individual Gems are easy to use and come in various styles and lengths so you can just peel them off and pop them on!
Top tip: Struggling to perfect your wings? Try putting a bit of tape right below where you want to draw your wing, use this as a tracking line and then remove the tape to reveal a super-sharp look.
5. Watercolour eyes
Not quite sure which colour you want to go for? Unleash the rainbow with watercolour eyes this festival season.
Another simple (yet very effective) look, all you need is a rainbow eyeshadow palette and a trusty primer. We love the Morphe X Meredith Duxbury 35 Pan Artistry Palette, which has everything from lavender and lime to pale blue and bronze.
Slick your eyelid primer on first to make sure your efforts last all day long, and then use your fingertip to swipe each shade onto your lids. Start right in the crease and work your way up the rainbow all the way to the edges.
Top tip: Match with rainbow nails for an even bigger dopamine hit.
6. Coloured mascara
For another look that screams minimal effort for maximum reward, try a coloured mascara on for size. Whether you match it to your outfit or go crazy with several colours, just choose your shade(s) and off you go.
Layer your lashes with a primer first to help them pop. L'Oréal Paris Lash Paradise Mascara Primer is great for both conditioning and lengthening lashes.
Then colour yourself in with whatever hue you fancy. We love a classic blue, like Maybelline’s Lash Sensational Sky High Blue Mist Mascara.
Top tip: For a fun finishing touch, why not match your lips with your lashes? You don’t need to go all out lipstick, use a coloured eye pencil as a makeshift lip liner for a great two-in-one option.
7. Metallic lips
Speaking of lips, your pout doesn’t have to be an after-thought when it comes to festival make-up. Make them the main event by going metallic.
First grab a luminous lip gloss, we like Anastasia Beverly Hills Lip Gloss in Amber Sparkle. Next, add a little more twinkle by swiping a glittery eyeshadow across the middle of your top and bottom lip. NYX Face & Body Glitter in Ice is designed for using on both eyes and lips.
For an even bolder look, embrace your inner rock chick and go silver glitter over a dark pout. No7’s Moisture Drench Lipstick in Berry Shine is the perfect shade to pack a punch.
8. Blue hues
And finally, if in doubt, go blue. Bluey hues are a big trend this summer, and you can apply this look to most aspects of your make-up.
First, define your eyes from top to bottom with a blue liner. NYX Professional Makeup Liner Stick in Chill Blue is ideal for creating a bold graphic wing.
Next, swipe on a vivid eyeshadow – we love Huda Beauty’s Color Block Obsessions Eyeshadow Palette for several different shades of blue.
Add some blue lashes with YSL’s Lash Clash Extreme Volume Mascara and to finish off the look, outline your lips with a blue liner for instant impact.
Top tip: For a true-blue face, go all out and pop some blue eyeshadow on your brows too!
How to make sure your festival make-up lasts all day
Between all the sun, sweat and possible rain showers, it can be tricky keeping your festival make-up looking fresh. But never fear, this is where a line-up of trusty beauty saviours comes into play.
First things first, post-SPF and pre-make-up, make sure to pop on a primer. We love e.l.f. Power Grip Primer which grips to your make-up while smoothing skin too.
Once you’ve perfected your look, spritz on a setting spray to give your make-up serious staying power. Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray is one of our faves for a lasting look.
And here’s a few other handy tips for how to look your best all festival long:
- Pop some blotting papers in your bag to absorb any excess oil throughout the day.
- Consider going waterproof with your products, this will be helpful come rain or shine!
- If you’re worried about smudges, go for a more subtle look and tint your lashes and brows before you go – definition without any faff.
- Pack a pocket-sized mirror that you can whip out for any necessary on-the-go touch-ups.
- Whatever you do, make sure to take your make-up off every night (a mini micellar water is ideal here) – trust us, you’ll thank yourself for it in the morning.
So, whether you’re hitting up a field in the UK or heading abroad to the dance tents of Europe, you’ll now be main-stage ready with all the hottest festival make-up trends for 2024.
